Rasiah S. Sugirtharajah, known as R. S. Sugirtharajah, is a
biblical hermeneuticist and an emeritus professor at the
University of Birmingham. He is known for his work in developing the field of
postcolonial biblical criticism
Postcolonial theology is the application of postcolonial criticism to Christian theology. As is in postcolonial discourse, the term ''postcolonial'' is used without a hyphen, denoting an intellectual reaction against the colonial, instead of be ...
.
Biography
Born in
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, Sugirtharajah pursued his
Bachelor of Divinity[K. M. Hiwale (Compiled), ''Directory of the United Theological College 1910–1997'', Bangalore, 1997. Past students of the graduate course, p.36; Postgraduate course, p.110.] and
Master of Theology
Master of Theology ( la, Theologiae Magister, abbreviated MTh, ThM, or MTheol) is a post-graduate degree offered by universities, divinity schools, and seminaries. It can serve as a transition degree for entrance into a PhD program or as a stand ...
degrees at
United Theological College, Bangalore
United Theological College (UTC) is an Eccumenical Christian seminary founded in 1910 situated in the southern city of Bangalore in the state of Karnataka in South India and affiliated to India's first Theological University, the Senate of Seram ...
(affiliated to the
Senate of Serampore College
The Senate of Serampore College (University) is located in Serampore in West Bengal, India. Serampore was granted the status of university in 1829, making it India's first institution to have the status of a university.Government of India, Mini ...
) in
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
before completing his
Doctor of Philosophy
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
degree at the
University of Birmingham in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
. He is best known for his work in introducing postcolonial criticism to the study of the Bible, in works such as ''Asian Biblical Hermeneutics and Postcolonialism''
and ''Postcolonial Criticism and Biblical Interpretation''.
He is also known for bringing to the foreground marginalized voices which are rarely heard in mainstream studies of Christianity.
In 2009, a volume was published in Sugirtharajah's honour entitled ''Postcolonial Interventions''.
Works
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See also
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Postcolonial theology
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sugirtharajah, R. S.
Academics of the University of Birmingham
Alumni of the University of Birmingham
Living people
Biblical scholars
World Christianity scholars
Year of birth missing (living people)
Sri Lankan academics
Nationality missing
Senate of Serampore College (University) alumni